FG names Secondus, Metuh, Dokpesi among treasury looters

The Federal government yesterday named the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus; former national publicity secretary of the party, Olisah Metuh, Chairman of DAAR Communication, Dr. Raymond Dokpesi, among treasury looters under the immediate past administration.

The National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Kola Ologbodiyan, had in a television programme on Thursday challenged the All Progressives Congress (APC) led administration to name the looters in PDP and also prosecute them.

In a statement yesterday in Abuja, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, insisted that Nigeria was looted blind under the watch of the PDP, adding that the starting point in tendering an apology is for them to return the loot.

He said: “They said they did not loot the treasury, well, I am sure they know that the treasury was looted dry under their watch. Yet, they decided to grandstand. This shows the hollowness of their apology to Nigerians.

“It’s like a robber admitting to stealing your car and apologising, but then saying he/she will keep the car anyway. It doesn’t work that way. Let’s just give them a teaser with this list.”

Mohammed alleged that Secondus, on February 19, 2015, took N200 million from the office of then National Security Adviser (NSA), while the then PDP financial secretary on October 24, 2014, took N600 million from the office of the then NSA.

He added that Metuh is on trial for collecting N1.4b from the office of the former NSA; Dokpesi for taking N2.1 billion from the office of then NSA; former senior special adviser to then President Goodluck Jonathan, Dudafa Waripamo-Owei, over N830 million allegedly kept in accounts of four different companies; while a Federal High Court on Thursday ruled that Jonathan’s cousin, Robert Azibaola, has a case to answer for allegedly collecting $40 million from the office of the former NSA.

Mohammed said this list was just a tip of the iceberg and that the APC did not make these cases up, as some of them currently have cases in court.

Read More: Your apology not enough, return looted fund, FG tells PDP

“They are in court and the records are available. Some of the people on this list are seeking to plea bargain and that is a fact.

“We insist that Nigeria was looted blind under the watch of the PDP and that the starting point in tendering an apology is for them to return the loot,” he said.

“The PDP is a hypocrite. And that reminds me of what English writer, William Hazlitt, said: “The only vice that cannot be forgiven is hypocrisy. The repentance of a hypocrite is itself hypocrisy.”

“We will not stop talking about the massive looting by the PDP. They brought Nigeria to this sorry pass. We are now looking around for loans to build infrastructure and they ask us not to talk about it. We will talk about it,” he added.